(AFP Photo)
The Supreme Presidential Election Committee (SPEC) undertook procedures on Monday to prepare for the country’s upcoming presidential elections, one day after interim President Adly Mansour announced presidential polls would occur before elections for the House of Representatives.
In a statement, Secretary-General of the SPEC Hamdan Fahmy said that the committee had already set up a headquarters and had already held some preparatory meetings prior to Mansour’s decision, according to state-owned MENA.
The preparatory meetings included discussions with the Ministry of Finance regarding financial support and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Administrative Development for logistical support.
Fahmy added in his statement that in the meeting with the foreign ministry, the committee suggested pursuing an electronic voting system for Egyptians abroad in a way that would allow citizens to vote without going through registration. He added that the elections body stressed that such a framework would need to be carried out in a way that would “achieve integrity and full transparency” and not leave room for fraud.
Electronic voting equipment was also discussed with the Ministry of Administrative Development. Fahmy said that the integration of such equipment would make it easier in the future for Egyptians to vote outside of their home governorates in a way that would not allow for a single person to vote multiple times, with an updated electronic database.
In the constitutional referendum earlier this month, Egyptians abroad were not allowed to vote by mail and had to physically submit their ballots at Egyptian diplomatic missions in their countries of residence.
Fahmy also said the committee was welcoming civil society organisations and international and domestic observers as part of the elections process.
On Sunday Mansour said elections for the House of Representatives would take place after presidential elections, and said he would amend legislation dealing with political rights and presidential elections, both of which the SPEC said it was waiting to observe before moving forward with some future steps.
The specific dates on which the presidential elections will be held have not yet been announced.
